Cadillac Ad Exec Says ‘Poolside’ Ad Was ‘Misconstrued’ By Viewers

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Cadillac’s Poolside ad ad starring actor Neal McDonough, which first aired during NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics in Russia, has been the subject of much controversy and backlash. Many felt that the ad was brimming with arrogant bragging and focused too much on material goods. As a result, Cadillac’s ad director, Craig Bierley, sat down with Ad Age to set the record straight on an ad which he felt was “misconstrued” by viewers.

According to Bierley, the ad is intended to serve as a “brand provocation”. In other words, Cadillac knew that some viewers would loathe the commercial while others would love it, but in the end it would get people talking about it. If that is all they wanted out of the 60-second spot, we’d say it was a huge success.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the commercial, Bierley says, was that it was aimed at the richest 1 percent of individuals. He goes on to explain that the ad was actually targeted at individuals who make around $200,000 a year. They are consumers with a “little bit of grit under their fingernails” who “pop in and out of luxury” when and how they see fit, he told Ad Age.

“These are people who haven’t been given anything. Every part of success they’ve achieved has been earned through hard work and hustle. One of the ways they reward themselves for their hard work is through the purchase of a luxury car,” Bierley said.

Another contributing factor in the “Poolside backlash” was the spot’s materialistic overtones. Bierley dismissed the idea that the ad promotes materialism, and instead says that Americans don’t work hard to buy “stuff”, but because they like to. The materialistic things, like the Cadillac ELR, are simply by-products of hard work.

“It’s basically saying hard work creates its own luck. In order to achieve it, you just have to believe anything’s possible. You have to believe in yourself, you have to believe in possibilities. It’s really about optimism. It’s really a fundamental human truth: optimism about creating your own future. It’s not about materialism,” explained Bierley.

Possibly the easiest thing to criticize the ad for, though, is its no-forgiveness, American chest-thumping. That element was actually intended to celebrate American milestones achieved through hard work. Bierley says the ad would not have focused so much on American accomplishments if it was intended to be aired overseas.

“The strategy was really to play off the consumer insights around this notion of achievement earned through hard work and hustle and celebrating that.” he said. “Since it’s a U.S.-based spot, we used metaphors to talk about other people who received their success through hard work.”

Overall, Bierley says response to the ad has been favorable, with positive feedback from young consumers outnumbering bad feedback about 3 to 1. He says the ad is not about bragging, or materialism, but about working hard to get where you want to be.

“We’re not making a statement saying, ‘We want people to work hard.’ What we’re saying is that hard work has its payoffs. Find something you love to do, do it incredibly well and there’s a reward for that. Whether its personal satisfaction, whether its fulfillment, whether that’s money,” Bierley concludes.

overall, I think the commercial resonated (and strongly) with exact target audience GM wanted it to. The only people I hear (actually only read about) complaining over the “materialism and arrogance” are the types who are socialistic, apologetic, and general possessors of milk-toast predispositions toward life anyway. Or to sum it up in another way…UNDERACHIEVERS.

GM went with a new ad agency a couple years back. Tip to GM: FIRE THEM – QUICK!

It’s not just that GM has absolutely no clue how to market EREV ( Voltec ), because that is
understandable. GM is a SUV, TRUCK and gas-powered sedan company. They cannot hype
an electric car – that doesn’t check the boxes that they are accustomed to checking to make
money. Service and Parts departments play big in their business plan. EVs have powerplants
with two moving parts, and even Volts and ELR need far less oil and filter changes, brakes
( with regenerative braking ) and such. GM chose to sell SparkEV in two states, which is enough
to get the Zero Emissions Credits they need, and their hands are tied to market such vehicles
that themselves don’t sell for big profit margins. The problem is much larger. None of GM’s
new ad campaigns has struck a chord. Silverado to Impala – Malibu to Volt, the ads are dumb,
and leave the viewer wondering what that was all about.

C’mon, “A MAN AND HIS TRUCK”…it’s LAME! ” A WOMAN AND HER TRUCK”?!!! GIMME A BREAK!
The ELR spot is over-the-top! In one ad they insult Europeans and Asians, and try to aim
ELR at upper-income types who will go out and buy a Model S if they want to convey an image
that they care about the environment.

It seems like GM is strongly in reverse with it’s current ad campaigns. It’s not getting better.

I should mention not only what GM should NOT do – but what they SHOULD DO.

GM should try to sell their products with sharp, customer-driven ads that share why
a particular vehicle has features that are superior to their rivals. Volt sales finally took
a sharp turn upward, even without incentives when – after 2 solid years of advertising
flops like the Superbowl “VOLT ALIEN” ad, or the “WHY ARE YOU AT A GAS STATION?”
attempts..They listened to online Volt fans and just ran simple owner testimonial spots.
When a guy or gal states: “I’ve driven my Volt for three months and can’t remember
the last time I stopped at a gas station!” – It has impact. Aliens and dumb parking
attendants don’t.

To refresh your memory, Chevy goofed with it’s reference to Dodge and Ford in a
recent Silverado ad – making news all over the net about the poor English, and a
message that actually implied the others were superior!!!! BIG MISTAKE! Check
the article about it here on GMAuthority.com.

Before fancy New York ad agencies try to figure out how to be cute and funny
selling cars…Try to just sell the car based on it’s attributes – and real consumers’
user experiences. Injury added to insult are the huge sums of money GM spends
on these awful advertisements.

May Grandfather owned 37 Cadillacs in has life and my father owed 18. I owned noting but GM cars for over 30 years. Then came the bailout. I have switched to Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and VW. Had this ad came out sooner maybe I would have looked at a Cadillac? I do agree with the comment that the bailout leaves a bad taste for GM. By the way my first car was a 1966 GTO.

I love this commercial It makes no excuses. Too bad that many in our country are just worried about bailing out GM to save jobs vs. all the people milking the system and not even working.

America has been an exceptional country and is on the edge of losing that edge due to our leadership and poor work ethic and people just expecting the government to do it all for them. With the leaders we have now they are training them to ask for the hand outs. We can come back from this if we could find the right leader but right now there is no one and I mean no one that is smart enough to for the job that is dumb enough to run for it.

Anyways anyone offended with this spot get over it. As for the rest of us who have worked to earn what we have enjoy the two weeks in August.

The real hard work is to achieve more free time for each and everybody, plus good education, free health care and decent food and clothing and housing.

Not enjoying to kick your neighbour in her face, and being able to buy lots things, including a wife, while being unable to really enjoy life, as the disgusted facial expression shows, which the actor in that ad so masterly creates, And his disdain for sitting down with friends and having a good time together.

This ad glorifies vanity, and spoiling ones life. It is repulsive.

And don’t mistake me! I do not feel humiliated by the ridiculous diatribes of that ad’s writer, but rather feel pity for him for being so wasteful with his own humanity.